Heart Checkup is Essential Before Playing Sports

By Colombia Páez, The Miami Herald

A heart checkup before the school year begins could make a life-and-death difference for student athletes.

The recent death of Miramar High football player Isaiah Laurencin, who went into cardiac arrest during an early evening workout with his coach and teammates, adds to the nearly 300,000 cases of cardiac arrest a year, according to the American Heart Association. In fact, cardiac arrest is the No.1 cause of death in the United States, with a survival rate of only 8percent.